Thousands of XL bully dogs won't have to be put down after latest exemption

Thousands of owners of XL bully dogs will not have to have them put down when a ban on the breed comes in next year.

XL bully dogs have made headlines recently after several attacks on humans sparked the incoming ban. Dog centres have since been flooded with unwanted XL bullys.

The ban has been deemed controversial and some have labelled it a “knee jerk reaction” that punishes the dogs and not the owners themselves.

However, it has been revealed that over 4,000 applications from people wanting an exemption have been received by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). Sky News has confirmed that the “majority” have been granted, though the exact figure has not been disclosed.

A spokesperson for the department told Sky News: “[The] majority of applications are successful and the majority of successful applicants are receiving their certificates in less than a week.”

Under the government’s new ban, from 31 December, breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing an XL bully dog to stray will be illegal in England and Wales. Additionally, XL bully dogs will be required to be muzzled and on a lead in public at all times from the same date.

From 1 February 2024, it will be a criminal offence to be in possession of an XL Bully in England and Wales unless owners have applied for an exemption. Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss has urged owners to apply for an exemption if they wish to keep their existing pets.

To receive an exemption certificate, the household must agree to a set of rules, including having the animals microchipped. They must also be neutered by 30 June 2024, unless the dog is under one year old.

On X/Twitter, one person argued: “There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.”

Another said: “XL Bully ban is just another example of c**p nonsense populist policy which doesn’t work. A breed they can’t easily define or determine. No way of enforcement.”

“Sadly data overwhelmingly shows that XL bullies are a problem, they have been responsible for 75 per cent of fatal attacks since 2021 & 44 per cent of non-fatal attacks despite only being around 1 per cent of the U.K. dog population,” argued another.

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